Limit on campaign contributions may be increasing the spending of outside groups

The City Council’s attempt earlier this year to limit campaign contributions to council candidates seems to be working, last Thursday’s campaign finance deadline shows. But the limits might also be increasing the spending of outside groups on the election.

Under the ordinance passed this summer, candidates must not accept more than $40,000 in campaign contributions to be eligible for up to $25,000 in public funds from the city.

So far, none of the candidates have accepted more than the $40,000 limit. During the late October filings from the 2010 election, all three Mayoral candidates — Gayle McLaughlin, Nat Bates and John Ziesenhenne — and council candidates Ludmyrna “Myrna” Lopez and Virginia Finlay had raised more than $40,000, not including public funds, for their campaigns.